| Publication |
2012.
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| Summary/Abstract |
In October 2006 General Charles Wald, Deputy Commander U.S. European Command, brought "Phase Zero" into the joint lexicon with the publication of an
article, "The Phase Zero Campaign."1
Over the last five years the concept of taking
coordinated action in peacetime to affect the strategic environment has become
widely accepted and is now integrated into theater campaign plans. These activities focus on building capacity of partners and influencing potential adversaries
to avoid war. In contrast, Chinese strategic culture has encouraged taking actions
to defeat an enemy prior to the onset of hostilities for two and a half millennia.
This accounts, in part, for the manner in which the People's Republic of China
(PRC) applies the elements of national power in the steady-state environment to
advance its strategic interests. While the United States remains focused on preparing the environment and building partners, Chinese strategic culture states a
preference for defeating an adversary before what Western thought thinks of as
war has begun. This outlook ultimately places the PRC in a position of strategic
advantage. To meet future challenges like that posed by the PRC, the United
States should better integrate Phase Zero with contingency (crisis) planning, then
design and execute operations in the steady-state environment that go beyond
avoiding war and attempt to settle conflicts in accordance with the national interests of the United States.
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